oracular

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective oracular contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of oracular are dictatorial, doctrinaire, dogmatic, and magisterial. While all these words mean "imposing one's will or opinions on others," oracular implies the manner of one who delivers opinions in cryptic phrases or with pompous dogmatism.

a designer who is the oracular voice of fashion

When could dictatorial be used to replace oracular?

The meanings of dictatorial and oracular largely overlap; however, dictatorial stresses autocratic, high-handed methods and a domineering manner.

exercised dictatorial control over the office

Where would doctrinaire be a reasonable alternative to oracular?

Although the words doctrinaire and oracular have much in common, doctrinaire implies a disposition to follow abstract theories in framing laws or policies affecting people.

a doctrinaire approach to improving the economy

When is dogmatic a more appropriate choice than oracular?

The words dogmatic and oracular can be used in similar contexts, but dogmatic implies being unduly and offensively positive in laying down principles and expressing opinions.

dogmatic about what is art and what is not

When would magisterial be a good substitute for oracular?

The synonyms magisterial and oracular are sometimes interchangeable, but magisterial stresses assumption or use of prerogatives appropriate to a magistrate or schoolmaster in forcing acceptance of one's opinions.

the magisterial tone of his pronouncements

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of oracular His pronouncements seem oracular, his verdicts correct. Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2023 There are, of course, more familiar names that sometimes arise from the oracular mists of the Swedish Academy, particularly over the past few decades, when, though tainted by scandal, the Nobel Committee became, off and on, more, uh, hip—both Bob Dylan and Kazuo Ishiguro come to mind. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2022 These computer models don’t make oracular forecasts. Popular Mechanics, 24 May 2023 Morton describes the origin of Hyperobjects as oracular—like a radio transmission sent from the future. Laura Hudson, Wired, 16 Nov. 2021 See All Example Sentences for oracular
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oracular
Adjective
  • Deepfakes first attracted attention for its use in making fake celebrity pornographic films, but their uses have subsequently evolved to more sinister reasons.
    Rohan Pinto, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
  • Columbia Pictures When Bobbie also suddenly transforms, Joanna discovers that her best friend has been replaced by a robot—along with all the other wives—and realizes the sinister forces at work in Stepford are coming for her next.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Sure, Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Wendy gets to save the day with some hooey about prophetic photographs, but her journey is mostly there to pad out the set pieces, which involve a roller coaster, a weight machine, and, most brilliantly, a pair of tanning beds.
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 4 Feb. 2025
  • Whether or not Powell actually made the Pottery Barn quip, his cautions against regime change were prophetic.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • After the game, Dončić warmly greeted his former teammates but also took a few portentous looks at the Mavericks bench during the night.
    Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
  • This game would have been twice as portentous if Davis had been healthy, but the 10-time All-Star who teamed up with James to lead the Lakers to the 2020 championship is out at least two more weeks with a groin injury sustained in his Mavs debut.
    Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Yet this complacent optimism sat side by side with an apocalyptic appetite for random assassination, the propaganda of the deed.
    Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
  • The Fragility of Tangible Wealth The catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles have left behind an apocalyptic landscape of destruction, reducing over 12,000 homes and buildings to ash.
    Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Slimani is a hardened criminal made less menacing by Kateb’s faltering rhythms in English, the gang’s lingua franca.
    Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Others see something darker and more menacing for the country and its future.
    Chris Megerian, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Its software is used in performance engineering, modeling and design, supply chain management, predictive and prescriptive maintenance, digital grid management and industrial data management.
    Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 1 Mar. 2025
  • By automating low-value tasks, providing predictive insights and streamlining content creation, AI allows BD professionals to focus on what matters most: building strong, lasting relationships.
    Patricia Nagy, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The effect is to rub our faces in the self-destructive horror of the heroine’s impulses and to shift that baleful sense of the erotic’s dark power from a disturbing subtext to a more sensationalized foreground.
    Jim Shepard, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025
  • The company, Wave, is taking aim at AAT deficiency, marked by scarce or defective alpha-1 antitrypsin, a protein that neutralizes baleful enzymes released by immune cells.
    ByMitch Leslie, science.org, 24 Oct. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Oracular.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oracular. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

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